


A Little Bit of Love (Goes a Long, Long Way)

by sofreakinmanyfandoms



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Animal Shelter, Don't copy to another site, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, Loki (Marvel) Feels, M/M, Pets, author has no idea what she's doing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-23 02:57:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18540895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sofreakinmanyfandoms/pseuds/sofreakinmanyfandoms
Summary: Tony takes his boyfriend to an animal shelter to find Loki's first pet.





	A Little Bit of Love (Goes a Long, Long Way)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [STARSdidathing](https://archiveofourown.org/users/STARSdidathing/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Confessions of a Lonely Boy](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18191738) by [STARSdidathing](https://archiveofourown.org/users/STARSdidathing/pseuds/STARSdidathing). 



> I read Stars's "Confessions of a Lonely Boy" and my brain said, "Well, we can't leave it at that, can we?" So this happened.  
> You don't actually need to read that piece first, but the emotion carries over nicely. 
> 
> Title is from the 33Miles song, "Little Bit of Love".
> 
> Sean Casey Animal Rescue is a real place. 
> 
> If you want a pet, please adopt. There are so many wonderful animals out there who need homes.

Tony found himself standing in front of the Sean Casey Animal Rescue a mere two days later. Next to him, Loki was trying to appear calm, but the shaking of his hands betrayed his nervous excitement.

“What if they all hate me?”

“Loki, love,” Tony said softly, pulling the mage into his arms, “they aren’t all going to hate you. There will probably be plenty of animals in here who are nervous around people, but that doesn’t mean they hate you. It just means they need patience and love from whoever gives them a chance.”

“So you’re saying they’re all like me.”

The brunet shoved his now smirking boyfriend and laughed, glad that the other man seemed to be holding together. Loki had wanted a pet for a longer time than Tony could really wrap his mind around; today was a big deal for both of them.

A bubbly volunteer named Andrea welcomed them upon entry and helped them sign in. After asking a few questions about what they were looking for she took them back to meet some dogs.  
“I’ll show you some cats after if we don’t meet any dogs that click; cats can be every bit as affectionate as dogs, but they have particular ways of showing and accepting affection, so if you’re looking for a pet to _lavishly_ love on, a dog is probably your best bet. We do have some smaller animals and reptiles in right now, but interacting with them will be different than a larger pet as well. Don’t feel bad if you don’t connect with any of our animals - we can always recommend other shelters, or you can come back later; the important thing is matching the right people and pets together. You’ll know them when you meet them!”

Andrea introduced them to a dozen dogs, but none of them felt right to Tony. Loki seemed to agree; he’d smile and pet each dog as it was introduced, but wasn’t reluctant to see them leave when it was time to meet the next one.

(He was, however, delighted to meet “Thor,” the world’s angriest Chihuahua.)

Next came the cats. The volunteer assured them that the shiest cats were often the most affectionate, but again none of them felt quite right. They were about to move on to the reptiles (his boyfriend would probably bond with a snake, Tony thought affectionately) when they were interrupted by one of the full-time staff members.

“Andrea,” a man whose tag identified as Dave called, poking his head into the cat room, “Frigg got out again while I was cleaning her cage. You’re the only one she’ll listen to; can you come get her out of the rafters, please?”

Loki froze, and Tony felt his heart skip a beat at the utter longing that flashed briefly through the other man's eyes.

“Would it be too much to ask if we can watch,” the genius asked, “or would strangers scare her?”

Dave shrugged. “It shouldn’t be a problem. Frigg isn’t skittish so much as she’s very particular. I’ve never met a cockatiel so determined to hate everyone; the breed is usually very affectionate.”

Tony dragged his suddenly quiet boyfriend along behind Dave and Andrea as they left the cat room and re-entered the lobby. Perched atop a rafter and looking down upon the group with what could only be called a look of disdain was a gray cockatiel.

“Hey, Frigg,” Andrea said, “I’m sure you’re enjoying yourself, but your cage is clean now.” She held out an arm and put on her best bubbly smile. “Please come down?”

The bird scanned the group dismissively until her eyes alit on Loki. Her head cocked and she let out a trilling whistle before swooping down and landing on his shoulder.

“Hello,” Loki said with amusement, snapping out of his daze as the cockatiel ducked under his hair and climbed around the back of his neck. “I was lead to believe you hate everyone. Was I misled?”

Frigg screeched at Tony when the genius reached out to stroke her head. He quickly pulled his hand back. “No, I think she just likes you, Lo.”

“Wow,” Andrea’s eyes were wide, and behind her, Dave’s jaw had dropped. “She hasn’t liked anyone since she got here! Her last owner died suddenly and we were beginning to worry she'd never get over the loss.”

Loki couldn’t see the cockatiel perched on his shoulder, but he absently reached up and stroked her head, a small smile on his face as he turned to his boyfriend.

“I think this one will do nicely.”

 

\--------------------

 

Two hours later, once the paperwork had all been straightened out, they arrived home at the same time as the massive amount of bird equipment Tony had requested JARVIS order. Frigg still hadn’t left Loki’s shoulder; no matter how strongly the volunteers had recommended he move her to a carrier for transport, the mage had refused. He spent the entire ride talking to the little bird about her new home.

“And please,” he concluded as they entered the elevator on the way to the penthouse, “don’t bite Tony. I know he can be annoying, but I love him anyway, and hurting him will hurt me.”

Frigg cocked her head and looked between him and Tony. Tony had been trying to give her some space since it became clear that liking Loki didn’t mean she liked him, so he was surprised when a fluttering sound led to the cockatiel landing on his shoulder.

“Looks like she decided she likes you after all, Tony,” Loki said smugly as the bird let out a little trill and rubbed her head against Tony’s cheek. “She’s a smart one, isn’t she?”

“That she is,” Tony agreed, tentatively reaching to pet her and relaxing when his hand was met with a happy trill instead of a warning. “Like her new owner. Her name is Nordic, right?”

Loki nodded, two fingers of his hand stroking down the little bird’s back. “Yes. It’s a modern Midgardian version of my mother’s name, actually.”

The look on Loki’s face when he’d first heard it spoken suddenly made sense.

“I didn’t realize that. What does it mean?”

The mage looked at his little bird with a soft smile that reached his eyes.

“It means _Love_.”

**Author's Note:**

> I have a headcannon that Frigg masters Loki's voice, but only the phrases where he's reminding Tony to take care of himself. So some night long after midnight, Tony will hear, "Tony, go to bed!" and look up to find Frigg staring at him from atop DUM-E's claw.
> 
> Tony tries to train her to say stuff to Loki and fails.
> 
> Peter successfully trains her to eat his homework. His teachers are not impressed.


End file.
